Your First 24 Hours After Landing in Barcelona If You’ve Already Been to Barcelona

This is for those who have already been to Barcelona. Otherwise, go wander around Barcelona, get lost in one of my favorite cities! Butttt, if you’ve been a few times and want to expand your horizons, here’s the perfect itinerary for your first twenty-four hours in Catalunya. 

Sometimes you want poetry and deeper meaning in a travel blog post, and sometimes you just need somebody to lay out a good plan. This is the latter.

Come.

Land in Barcelona early morning, pick up your rental, and head north on the Mediterranean Highway. We’re going to Figueres!

On the way, when you’re hungry and decide you’d like to see the sea stat, stop at one of the well-kept and most pleasant of rest stops dotting a highway that I’ve had the experience of brushing my teeth in. Refreshed, reroute to Empuriabrava.

There are many quaint little towns along the Costa Brava, but I especially love Empuriabrava, where the Muga River meets the Mediterranean in the Gulf of Roses. Look at that sentence! Muga River, Mediterranean, Gulf of Roses…it’s a moment.

Perhaps there are better options in town food-wise, I wouldn’t know. The lure of Restaurant Ams’s sun-speckled deck smack in front of the sea with the Muga’s mouth on the right, is too powerful for a holistic experience sucker like me. Plus, the gambas al ajillo have just enough spice to make you sneeze twice. Pair it with some Cava, breathe deep, and write something.

Touch down and you’re six hours older. Live like that until you fall back. 

For all the time lost and gained, sleep-deprived and not quite sane, it’s worth it.

I can’t help but grin as the sun warms my soul, the beautiful blue in plain view. I made it. This is exactly what I wanted, my motivation.

May I remember this fresh breeze alawys.

Assimilate and enjoy, don’t worry about creating content. Afterall, your ticket entrance time is in less than an hour!

There is parking right by the museum. Pull in and go have Salvador Dalí blow your mind.

THE MAN WAS A GENIUS! Maybe you kinda knew that already, but I promise this experience in person will arouse a whole new appreciation for the breadth and depth of Dalí’s mind. And if you’re not familiar, lucky you to have that one-time-only first experience with such a mind. He is a master of revolution, of Surrealism, Cubism, Impressionism, Futurism, sculpture, video, audio, jewelry…all the things!

High on art, wander a few blocks down and check into the Hotel Plaza Inn, essentially a continuation of the afternoon’s flamboyance.

There’s already a sensation that you’ll be back…

The Hotel Plaza Inn is perfect for a night in Figueres. It’s easy to access by car, and the location is great, only steps away from the Dalí Museum and close to the center. Plus, it’s clean and cheap.

Alas, a shower and change of clothes, hunger rising.

First walk down Passeig Nou before it gets too late, as its lined with friendly faces selling all kinds of treasures until dark. You could get lost in all the cheap vinyl, but it’s time to taste!

After a pit stop at a random place for a glass of wine and a wifi connection for maps, head to Granada Vins. Don’t follow the route it gives (13 minutes), just look at the actual map and get there in about three minutes…the walk is fun all the same :)

This Figueres wine bar hits all the spots! It feels friendly and there’s warm, just-right lighting. Their wine list features several local cellars and the food is Catalonian with some international twists.

That which grows together goes together. Eat the just-made croquetas con mariscos (seafood croquettes) alongside a bottle of Celler Mas Llunes Maragda Blanc and tell me otherwise.

Produced just a few miles up the road, in the teeny town of Garriguella in Spain’s Empordá DO, Maragada is a blend of sunny, voluptuous Macabeo and munchy Garnaxta Blanca. An overall salty personality makes the acidity come hard in your mouth, while flavors of pear blossom, lemon, and dried herbs yearn for the next bite. What a pleasant exchange with the perfectly seasoned breading and warm, creamy magic that is a croqueta!

And then, out of sheer delight for such a day, I suggest the lightly breaded grilled octopus tentacle over a bed of kimchi slaw with a house-secret cream that unites on all fronts. From up in your gums to molar hugs and spanning the width of your mouth, flavors flavor everywhere in one bite of this absolute delight.

Get the cork, throw the bottle in your bag (ah, the sensibility and ease of Europe…), and go by the museum again to catch it at night before checking out Eglésia de Sant Pere. The hotel is near, it’s time to admire the view and retire. After all, big adventures await. Tomorrow to Penedés!

Say buenas noches to Figueres under a full moon!